Hello, I'm Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces. You're listening to our podcast

that explores the history and stories of our six palaces. These talks are a collection of some of our

best live events. I really hope you enjoy listening. In the 1500s, the Trudeau Court was the place to be seen.

This series of talks looks into court life in the 16th century during the reign of King

Henry VIII.

In this talk, renowned author Hilary Mantell sheds light on her novel Bring Up the Bodies,

the history behind it and the process for writing

captivating historical fiction.

It's a pleasure to be at Hampton Court and I want to talk to you mainly about the great

cardinal who is one of the major characters in Wolf Hall,

and in Bring Up the Bodies is a highly influential ghost.

I've been over the years to see where Woolsey was ordained in the church at Marlborough by the Bishop of Salisbury.

I've been to see his first quiet parish in the West Country.

I've dined at Christchurch, but nothing could give me a greater pleasure than to be talking about him in the place that of course I still

regard as his home. But I want to tell you first of all how I first came to

Hampton Court and how that changed things, how it set a pattern, although I didn't know it.

I first came here the summer I was 13 with my family.

We were staying with a cousin who was the first of our family to make the break and go to live

in the southeast.

And she was, this was a very daring move in the 60s and she was living near Richmond, but

of course to my eyes it was all London and to me it was a fabulous place.

That was the first time I'd ever been out of the north and I ate up everything with my eyes

...